Blood Inheritance
by Mystoftime
Summary: Inuyasha's father left more to his youngest son than the Tetsusaiga. And his true inheritance is much more powerful. Mildly dark/light.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Shippo would like to remind you that Inuyasha would hit him if you consider this universe belongs to me for even one moment.

**Blood Inheritance**

**An Inuyasha Fanfic**

**Prologue**

Inu no Tashio watched as a blood-red sun disappeared below the horizon before ushering in the darkness of night once again. His proud figure and his broad back faced fearlessly to the forest behind him painted a picture of easy and powerful confidence. He was not a person to be trifled with, nor, since he was no person at all, was he a demon to be attacked without ushering in one's own death. Yet, despite the undisputable power and status the Leader of the Dog Demons commanded, he beheld the dying day with a thoughtful, almost melancholic air.

And as time passed and final rays of the sunset faded his elegant brow became even more furrowed until he abruptly smoothed his expression into one of casual indifference- a façade worn for the benefit of his vassal.

"Myouga. Come here."

The man's voice was deep and as unreadable as his face, though underneath laid an inner kindness and understanding of all life. The one he addressed quickly obeyed and hopped to his side, or rather, his shoulder.

"You called my lord?" the old, flea demon asked.

His master said nothing for several moments and his vassal frowned. He was always eager to help the great demon, but he sensed something different about him this time.

"Is something wrong my lord?"

"You are aware of the reason why I will bestow Tetsusaiga upon Inuyasha are you not?"

This question caught Myouga off guard. Was the man changing the subject on purpose? He scrambled to reply, "Of course, Inu no Tashio-sama! It is your younger son's inheritance is it not?" The silence made the flea chuckle nervously. "And, I needn't forget that the Tetsusaiga will act as a means to seal Inuyasha's youkai blood!"

"Yes. That is all true," Inu no Tashio agreed. Myouga glowed with the praise that wasn't given out often or lightly.

But, the dog demon continued to gaze out at the darkening landscape as if deep in thought. Then, he turned his head and his piercing eyes were aimed straight at his vassal.

His lips move only slightly and his words were soft, "Listen closely, Myouga, for what I'm about to tell you is to only be shared at the opportune moment." The flea demon nodded quickly. He would never dare to betray his lord and master's trust. What he lacked in courage was made up for in undying loyalty.

"There will come a time, when my youngest son, Inuyasha, will receive his blood inheritance."

"His… blood inheritance?" Myouga repeated questioningly. He had never heard of such a thing and wasn't Inuyasha already receiving Tetsusaiga, that wondrous blade forged from his father's fang?

The wind kicked up, rustling the bushes and caused the long silver hair of Inu no Tashio that was tied high on his head to lift slightly in a breeze.

"Yes. And when that time comes, Inuyasha will receive the full power of his youkai blood and it will be at his beck and call." His golden eyes shone in the moonlight and Myouga barely withheld a gasp. If this was true…

"This is his blood inheritance," the great demon continued. "It is his birthright, but since he is half demon, with the blood of Izayoi rushing through his veins it will only come within his grasp when he has gained the power and maturity that comes with adulthood, and becoming a true daiyouaki." He paused and Myouga sensed the tension that was roiling with Inu no Tashio. This was a far greater matter than he had originally let on.

Myouga jumped from his shoulder to the hand resting on the hilt of Tenseiga. "My lord!" The demon lifted his hand so his vassal was at eye level. "What of this? Why is it you must keep this a secret?"

Pain, yes, pain, flashed in the depths of the demon's eyes. Pain witnessed through a possible future for his hanyou son. "Nobody must know of Inuyasha's blood inheritance until the time comes. That is all you must know, Myouga." A warning coursed through his master's message and Myouga flinched. "But, I tell you this because I expect you to guide him through the changes. Because there will be changes and they will not be easy."

The flea demon started at Inu no Tashio's words. "W-wait! The way you're talking, my lord, makes it seem as though you yourself will not be there-!"

His raised hand froze the frantic words spewing from his vassal's mouth.

"Enough. I trust you will make sure that Inuyasha survives through his blood inheritance, Myouga."

"Y-yes, my lord!" he nodded quickly. "I will protect him with my life!"

At that, the dog demon's lips quirked into as close to a smile as Myouga had ever seen. He could only hope his master wasn't thinking of his aptness to run when his life was threatened.

However, that ghost of a smile vanished as swiftly as it appeared and with a wave of his hand, Inu no Tashio sent the flea demon sailing through the air.

"Go, Myouga. I will speak to you later."

The flea landed on the ground still intact and opened his mouth to bid farewell when his master spoke.

"So, you've come, Sesshomaru."

Myouga started in surprise as a tall figure with long silver hair like his father's and clad in a white kimono appeared where nothing but shadows had been before. He regarded Inu no Tashio before him coolly as Myouga silently made a hasty escape.

"Only because you wished it… Father."

Father and son locked gazes and the moon's light shone upon their beautiful inhumanity. Inu no Tashio extended his arm and gestured to the night sky.

"Good. Since I have something important to discuss with you as well, Sesshomaru…"

0~0~0

**Author****'****s****Note:**Hello, everyone! This is my second fan fiction for Inuyasha and as you can see it is much more serious than my first and ongoing one, **The****Dog****Days.** The prologue here sets the scene for the rest of the story by the showing the past with Inu no Tashio and Myouga. I plan to explore a different version of Inuyasha's youkai side with a new concept of a 'blood inheritance' I hope you as readers really enjoy. The following chapters will be longer than this prologue, I promise. Please review and tell me what you think so far!


	2. Stranger Than Usual

**Stranger Than Usual**

Inuyasha lifted his nose from the sun-baked earth to growl angrily.

Trailing behind him a tad doubtfully, his companions paid it no mind. They knew his growl was directed at no one in particular, and they understood his frustration that required venting somehow… or so they thought.

"Damn that bastard Naraku! Putting up a barrier again the coward…" the hanyou cursed.

"No scent again, Inuyasha?" Shippo inquired, even though the question was bound to provoke the annoyed Inuyasha. But, despite this, the fox demon was feeling particularly tired today and when that happened he became increasingly mischievous.

A fist came out of nowhere and Shippo was reacquainted with the ground. He held his head in pain and looked up to see Inuyasha crouching above him and wearing a malicious grin, "How about you try having your face in the dirt and see if you have anymore luck?"

"Why you-!" The kitsune sprung onto the hanyou.

The rest of the group watched the brawl until Kagome stepped forward to take control of the situation. "Inuyasha! Shippo! We don't have time for this!"

But even Kagome's fiery temper wasn't all there. Inuyasha and his friends had been on the road for weeks now, going from village to village in hopes to hear something that will point them towards Naraku and tracking his scent whenever they could find it. Through all their effort and little success, the constant travel was bearing down on everyone, manifesting in weariness, and in most cases, extreme sensitivity.

Kagome couldn't see any help coming by dealing with the bottled up frustration with more of the same stuff as the Inuyasha and Shippo continued to bicker. Finally, she knelt down and in her sweetest voice asked, "Inuyasha, can you give finding Naraku's scent one last try, please?"

They both froze. Shippo in the motion of tugging on one of Inuyasha's dog ears and Inuyasha in pulling on the kitsune's fluffy tail.

"Please?" Kagome repeated her plea and smiled.

Even without the shock factor of a 'nice' Kagome, both troublemakers bowed to her will.

Shippo clambered onto her shoulder and Inuyasha brought his nose to the dusty path once more, still grumbling to himself.

"Kagome's amazing…" Sango observed. "To be able to handle those two daily…"

Miroku nodded slowly. "Yes, quite."

The demon slayer's face abruptly soured as she felt the monk's hand caressing her behind. Her slap resounded through the air and Miroku withdrew with an expression of pure bliss on his face.

"Lecherous monk!" Sango stormed ahead to walk beside Kagome instead.

Kirara similarly abandoned the monk and the group moved forward, following their trusty hanyou.

0~0~0

Their faith in Inuyasha only went so far however, as he led them into a village and straight towards a stand selling roasted boar.

They stared dubiously as the hanyou continued to sniff the ground and the air around him, half hoping it was a mistake and he would continue through the village. But, those hopes were crushed as Inuyasha kept returning to the stand from which the heady, mouthwatering scent hit his nose full force now he was in such close proximity of it.

And he might've gone on that way for a while if Kagome didn't speak up.

"Um, Inuyasha?" He stared intensely at the dirt. "Inuyasha?" No response.

"Inuyasha!"

He lifted his head and looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"If you lost the scent it's fine we can look for it again tomorrow…"

"Huh? What are you talking about? I still have it!"

The hanyou began to dive back into his previous bout of sniffing when Shippo pointed out the obvious. "Inuyasha, you led us to a meat stand."

"He did, didn't he?" Miroku managed to inject importance into a repeated statement.

The kitsune put out his hands in despair. "I guess even Inuyasha's nose can get it wrong."

"What was that, you little twerp?" Inuyasha rose to his feet. His face was turning red; whether in anger or embarrassment they couldn't tell.

Before things got out of control, Sango turned to Kagome. "What do you want to do now, Kagome-chan?"

"Well, since we're here already it wouldn't hurt to stay the night…" She glanced over their group. Yes, they could definitely use a restful night out of the woods. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught how Inuyasha's head always returned to the roasting meat, almost unconsciously. And how the vendor was casting furtive glances the hanyou's way.

Kagome sighed. "And we might as well get something for dinner too."

0~0~0

One speech involving dark ominous clouds and impending doom, two sacred sutras performing a fake exorcism and three very rich and very grateful owners of the house that was supposedly haunted by youkai later, the group reaped the rewards of Miroku's low tricks.

They no longer brought up the morality of it every single time, even Kagome and Sango had lowered their complaints to hushed whispers, because in the end, no one could resist the comforts of staying in the largest house in the village and indulging in a meal that hadn't been foraged- especially if it meant temporarily shaking the dust of the road from their clothes.

In fact, they were all so grateful for the respite that Shippo and Inuyasha forgot to bicker over who would get the last rice ball, Miroku touched Sango only half a dozen times and Kagome didn't raise her voice once.

Later in the night, one by one they drifted off into peaceful slumber until a certain hanyou was the only remaining conscious and alert.

And though this was the norm, Inuyasha acting as a guard for his more vulnerable friends, it wasn't usually enough to keep him from dozing.

Tonight was different. Each time he closed his eyes his ears twitched as they caught the minute sounds of the evening, amplified more so than ever. The far off laughter of humans partying late into the night, the croaking of bull frogs in a swamp he didn't recall seeing near here, every creak of wood in the house and the chirp of crickets throughout it all. He frowned and tried to block out the noise unsuccessfully.

Inuyasha had always had superior hearing, as he had a keen sense of smell. Yet he hadn't had the problem before of being unable to sleep through the night sounds he picked up. And now that he thought about it… he stared at the wood grain of the floor contemplatively… nor had he been distracted from a scent as important as his worst enemy's from one as frivolous as cooking meat. It had been none too easy masking his mortification from the others either.

_Creak!_

The wooden supports of the house let loose a groan much louder than the ones before and Inuyasha's ears turned towards the direction of the sound- straight ahead. He listened closely, hand on Tetsusaiga as any and all sound stopped. Even the normal cacophony of the night paused and it was as if the entire world was holding its breath.

_Creak!_ Sound returned and with it Inuyasha could tell that whatever was in the house with them now… was just behind the sliding door.

He leapt to his feet with a growl and unsheathed Tetsusaiga. It transformed into a deadly sharp and curving blade and the hanyou pointed it directly at a large shadowy figure that had entered the room. There was no sign of the door being forced or even slid open, like the intruder had glided through the very wall.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha demanded while his gaze flicked to his companions who had yet to stir even in the face of this imminent danger.

A cackle issued from the dark, featureless mass, but even without seeing its face, Inuyasha could sense the pulsating energy rising from it, filled with malicious intent. It

It chuckled again, showing a flash of pointed, white teeth.

"Inuyasha, son of the Leader of the Dogs… It seems the time has come."

Bristling at the mention of his youkai father, the hanyou opened his mouth to snarl an answer when a pungent odor hit the roof of his mouth and filled his nose. Coughing and glaring at the figure before him, he tried to cover his nose and mouth, but the awful, nauseating scent continued to flow into the room, overwhelming his senses.

He swayed and had to use Tetsusaiga as a support to stay upright. But, his vision was blurring and he only had the chance to glare blearily as the figure cackled and raised its hand. Tetsusaiga toppled over and Inuyasha saw the ground rushing up to meet him.

The last thing Inuyasha knew before he collapsed was the swirling youki of a thousand hungry, slavering demons and the bloodcurdling shrieks of the human villagers. Then, the darkness overcame him.

0~0~0

In the chaos that followed, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara awoke to bloodthirsty youkai, screaming villagers and burning buildings. Their only piece of luck was that the one they were in wasn't on fire… yet.

"W-what's going on?" Shippo whimpered, wide-eyed and clinging to Kagome as they struggled to get their bearings.

Miroku swung his staff at a demon. "A youkai attack! Get back!"

"We have to get out of here! There are too many!" Sango yelled over the crackle of flames that were beginning to lick the roof above them. "Where's Inuyasha?"

"I'll find him!"

While Miroku and Sango fended off the demons, Kagome looked for the hanyou she knew was in the room, but it was still dark and hard to see...

She cupped her mouth and shouted, "Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"

Worry shot through Kagome when no disgruntled hanyou appeared before her and she began to fear the worst.

"Kagome look!"

At Shippo's call, she discovered Inuyasha lying on the ground nearby- unmoving. Kagome's breath caught in her throat and she ran to his side.

"Inuyasha! Can you hear me? Inuyasha!" She turned his face toward her, but still got no response.

"Kagome!"

The girl felt her hair lift from the breeze where a youkai had reared its ugly head to dig into her exposed back. Kagome turned to see as Kirara crushed its body between her powerful jaws. She smiled at the demon cat before looking down at Inuyasha with his limp head held in her lap.

Desperate, she shook his shoulder, yelled in his ears, even slapped the downed hanyou, but Inuyasha had been knocked out cold, and it was quickly becoming apparent he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.

By her side, Shippo glanced up. "Kagome? What are we going to do?"

Determination replaced panic and fear on Kagome's face. If for nothing else, she had to be brave for Shippo's, and Inuyasha's, sakes.

"We're going to get Inuyasha out of here!"

With a fair amount of trouble, Kagome hooked her arms underneath Inuyasha's and lifted his torso off the ground. But, as she tried to half-carry, half-drag his deadweight out of the building where they would at least be able to move freely, and despite Shippo huffing and puffing while tugging on his sleeves, Kagome could see how pitiful their progress was.

The porch lay out of reach and more and more starving youkai were swarming into the village and into the room. Miroku and Sango were back to back, his staff and her Hiraikotsu destroying countless weapons, but it still wasn't enough. They were coming like the plague and Miroku couldn't use his Wind Tunnel for fear it may suck up their scattered group as well.

Kirara's roar jolted Kagome from hopelessness. If the demon cat could cut through the demons separating them then maybe…

"Kirara!" They made eye contact and that was enough.

She barreled through the youkai, tearing into any that came within her deadly teeth and pushed away a beam that had fallen in order to make it to Kagome, Inuyasha and Shippo.

When Kirara had helped drag Inuyasha and settle him onto her back as gently as they could, Kagome called out to the monk and demon slayer.

"Miroku! Sango! We've got Inuyasha!"

"Praise Buddha!" Miroku wiped sweat beading on his forehead and smiled gratefully. Sango and the monk managed to break down a barricade the demons had constructed made from their own bodies.

As soon as they were rejoined, Kirara took off into the sky- now obscured by ominous cloud, and they had never been so glad to leave a village.

Yet even out of peril, danger still lurked and Kagome worried over the hanyou that remained unconscious.

She tried to keep negative thoughts from her mind, but they returned each time. What if…? What if…? Kagome eventually had to bite down on her knuckles to stop the sobs that threatened to escape.

It was in the midst of fighting herself that Inuyasha finally stirred.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome leaned in to hear him speak after so long. "Are you okay?"

His lips moved soundlessly at first.

Then he started to raise a hand feebly before he groaned.

"…Knew me… youkai…"

"Inuyasha? What are you talking about?"

But he acted like he hadn't heard Kagome's question and mumbled again, "They… knew me…"

His face went slack and he didn't utter another word as unconsciousness reclaimed him.

0~0~0

Waking up was anything but pleasant for anything for Inuyasha. In truth, it would be best described as terrible, sickening and downright awful. It caused him to wish that he hadn't woken up at all- but merely for a moment and he berated himself for having such a traitorous thought.

He'd had several instances in his past life, before he met any of his current traveling companions, where he'd fervently hoped there wouldn't be tomorrow. Because, in those days, tomorrow, the dawn of a new day, meant the dawn of new suffering at the hands of demons and humans alike, fresh loneliness no matter where he turned and bitter anger and hatred that drowned out all else.

The cold fury was the worst. In part because Inuyasha fed the brimming frustration inside him each and every passing day until it was overflowing. He was angry all the time, and he was angry at everything.

Yes. He couldn't be accused of persecution. His fury didn't miss a single living creature and it went on that way for a long time. Until he met Kikyo, then Kagome… and the list kept growing until, before long, Inuyasha fiery anger had been cooled to nothing but an empty shell of ash and debris.

Back then, there had been nothing to live for, no one left to tell him, "It'll get better," or, "Everything will turn out okay." Now, however, though it still existed, there were people to help him face the pain of each day. And for that he owed them and would stick it out.

Even if it meant inhaling a mouthful of kitsune fluff.

"Oomph!" Inuyasha didn't hesitate in voicing his displeasure at having a fox demon on his face, and, in typical Inuyasha fashion, didn't stop there.

He yanked Shippo off by the tail and clean threw him half across the clearing in which they were camped. Then, he stood there gasping for air free of fur while five heads, three human, and two demon, stared at him.

"What?"

The silence was shattered and Kagome's face lit up like a paper lantern.

"Inuyasha!"

Gentle arms embraced the hanyou and warmth spread throughout him, heating his cheeks so he glanced away. His surprise couldn't be contained, however, due to the fact that Kagome was hugging him. "W-what… what are you doing, wench?"

Kagome blatantly ignored his rudeness, mumbling into his haori, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Okay, okay!" Inuyasha was ready to escape while he still could when Kagome stepped out of the one-sided hug on her own, but not without giving him another smile.

Disarmed completely by that one measly smile, Inuyasha settled back down minus one kitsune latched onto his face.

As they sat around a hastily made campfire, dog-tired and feeling far from their best Miroku began quietly addressing the events that had just transpired.

In the end, however, they had made it from the village with their lives and most of their belongings. Though, their current location wasn't far from the village since Kirara couldn't fly long distances with so many passengers.

But, though they had been more fortunate than others that night, and guilt weighed most of them despite the need to transport their unconscious companion before he got hurt, it had also left them with some pressing concerns.

"What I'm wondering, is if it was just a mere coincidence that a youkai attack occurred the night we stayed in a village…?" Miroku remarked.

Inuyasha snorted. "I'm surprised you aren't passing it off as you already knowing there were youkai around with your spiritual powers."

"So… Miroku's exorcism didn't work?" Shippo put two and two together.

Which earned him a bonk on the head from the hanyou.

"Of course not, baka! It was a _fake_ exorcism!"

"Actually…" Heads turned as they noticed a new note in the monk's voice; a note of revelation. "Shippo made a good point. If there had been youkai already present in the house, even if it wasn't all of them, then my sutras should have worked. Which means…"

"That the youkai weren't there to begin with," Sango finished, glancing at the monk with grudging admiration.

"Then where did they come from?"

Kagome had asked the question they were all thinking to themselves. But none of them knew the answer and an eerie quiet descended on the group.

Until Shippo crawled over to the hanyou and chirped, "Hey Inuyasha! You've been really quiet lately!"

Inuyasha _had_ been particularly silent after initially waking up and, although he wasn't normally one for long conversations and it wasn't though twice about, he _had_ been acting different as well.

Including at this moment, where he continued to stare into the flickering flames. They were mesmerizing even as they began to die away and Inuyasha wasn't even really hearing what his friends were saying. It didn't matter to him and even if it did, he couldn't think about it. All he could think about was…

"Did something happen, Inuyasha?" Kagome's gentle and concerned voice broke into his thoughts and he glanced up to see her gazing at him with a slight crease between her eyes.

"You were knocked out somehow!" Shippo piped in.

Putting the irritating kitsune's comments aside, Inuyasha fought back a grimace. His pride wouldn't let him admit he'd been defeated without his opponent having to lift a finger. Nor that there was someone capable of rendering him so vulnerable… yes, there was no way he could tell them any of that.

His nose wrinkled in disgust from the mere memory of the shadowy figure that emitted an aura of a youkai and the stench that soon followed. The hanyou cold still feel it tingling in his senses, overcoming him against his will- a potent and hated smell.

"Ugh… the smell…"

Miroku blinked. "The smell? What smell?"

He started in surprise. He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud, but now that everyone's eyes were on him he had no choice.

"The disgusting smell that was in that room," Inuyasha spat, scowling at the fire.

Miroku and Sango exchanged blank glances and the hanyou caught no recognition in any of their faces.

Even Kagome seemed puzzled. "There wasn't any smell, Inuyasha, that we noticed."

"Keh! That _you_ could notice!" he scoffed and crossed his arms.

"There was the smoke from the fires later… but nothing was there when we woke up…"

Inuyasha's ears twitched when he heard what Kagome said and he swiveled around to glare at his companions.

"You guys sleep like stones! Not waking up until after-!"

But they were no longer listening to him, having already launched into a different aspect of the same conversation.

"You don't suppose someone was controlling the youkai and had them attack on purpose…?" the monk asked.

Sango glanced up from scratching Kirara behind her ears. "Like Naraku?"

"Maybe…"

"But Inuyasha didn't smell him," Kagome pointed out.

"We shouldn't rely on Inuyasha's sense of smell since it's not working well," Shippo injected smugly.

A growl sounded across the fire and the kitsune cowered just a little.

"Ah!" Miroku suddenly broke out into a smile. "Inuyasha!"

From where he was silently steaming, the hanyou cringed back from the monk. He couldn't trust Miroku when he smiled, especially when he looked as if he had discovered a new way to molest young girls.

"What?"

"Since you were awake when we weren't…" Inuyasha bit back a few choice swear words. "…Did you happen to see anyone inside the house who might've summoned the youkai?"

That shadowy creature… The one whose words he couldn't get out of his mind… "There was something," he started reluctantly.

"And did it summon them?" the monk leaned forward eagerly.

"The youkai…" Inuyasha decided to just call it what it most likely was. "It made some sort of hand signal-"

Miroku hit his fist into the palm of his hand. "So they didn't survive my sutras!"

"That's what you were concerned about?" they all shouted at once. The monk didn't even have a chance to defend himself as Sango began hitting him with Hiraikotsu.

"What about what it looked like? Or if it was someone we know? Or maybe why it left us alive and sent its lackeys to attack the village instead?" the demon slayer yelled with each whack she gave Miroku.

Though Sango made very good points and it was all information they wanted to know, no one offered their thoughts on the subject for the remainder of the night.

Inuyasha could feel Kagome's eyes on him throughout, silently pleading with him to tell her what was on his mind. But, what that shadow youkai had said… it sent chills down his spine and through his body.

Even though he didn't know the significance of it, why had the creature brought up his old man? Usually, his youkai parent held no meaning for other youkai. They only saw him as a half-demon and underestimated his strength consequently. But, the words that concerned him most, and he suppressed the most, was the part about 'the time coming'.

It weighed on Inuyasha like a ton of bricks, adding to the burdens he already carried and he could only growl out his frustration and turn his back towards the unspoken questions.

And that was how he preferred it to the alternative.

0~0~0

They set out early the next morning- not that any of them had slept a wink after fleeing the village- careful to leave no trace they had stopped there and eager to evade the remaining youkai.

Kagome battled the vague vertigo as she glanced down at the far off ground where Inuyasha and Miroku ran effortlessly. From high in the sky, there were only red and purple dots with flashes of Inuyasha's long silver hair and Miroku's gold staff.

Suddenly, Kirara swerved to avoid a flock of geese and Kagome clung to Sango to keep from falling off. Shippo was snuggled in between the two girls, fast asleep; exhausted from the night before.

"Kagome?"

The girl found the courage to open her eyes again and relaxed a little when she saw Sango's reassuring smile.

"I'm okay."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something," the demon slayer's voice took on a gentler tone, one she was beginning to use more and more. "Why aren't you with Inuyasha today like you usually are?"

She started a little, and then sighed because she expected the question sooner or later. "I think he needs some time to himself."

Now it was Sango's turn to act surprised. "Oh?"

"Uh huh…" Kagome looked down at her hands and a frown formed on her lips. "Have you noticed Inuyasha has been acting a little… strange lately?"

Sango giggled. "You mean, stranger than usual?"

Kagome smiled gratefully. The demon slayer always knew how to make her feel better.

"Well, yes."

"If that's the case, then you're probably right, Kagome-chan. He just needs a little time to himself."

"I guess…" Kagome sighed, but she felt more relaxed now that she knew it wasn't her imagination and Inuyasha would be back to his normal self.

Kagome let out a gasp as her stomach abruptly jumped to her throat as Kirara snarled and began to plummet rapidly.

"What's wrong?" she asked breathlessly as Sango's muscles tensed for battle and she leaned forward.

"There's something up ahead!"

Her shout got lost in the rushing wind as the forest trees rose up to meet them.

0~0~0

When Inuyasha suddenly stopped with his head lifted to sniff the air, then sped up just as quickly, Miroku knew something was up.

"Inuyasha! What is it?" he panted as he tried and failed to keep up with the hanyou's inhuman speed.

Without hesitation he replied, "Blood."

And lots of it, he thought to himself. The dreadfully familiar scent permeated the air and only got stronger as they sped closer.

Then, even Miroku caught the smell of death and destruction and coughed, quickly covering his mouth.

"This…"

His words trailed off and Inuyasha didn't blame him. They had seen many scenes of massacre done by packs of youkai and most of them had been hideous to see, but this… this brutality, was hardly witnessed even in these troubled times.

It was a landscape that would've been picturesque in any other event. With majestic mountains wreathed by low-lying clouds on the horizon, rice patties stretching as far as the eye could see and just beyond the last of the fields, the roofs of the homes beyond, a trail of smoke from a cooking fire still winding into the sky. It was yet another sign that the area had been attacked fairly recently.

There was a whoosh of air behind Inuyasha and Miroku as Kirara alighted upon firm ground with her passengers in tow.

"Inuyasha!"

"Miroku!"

"What happened?"

The girls jumped down from Kirara's back, Kagome holding Shippo as he stirred awake, but the demon cat stayed transformed, snarling softly.

Miroku answered their question with a sigh.

They turned to the hanyou hoping for something more, but Inuyasha had already taken off down the path, occasionally getting down on all fours to inhale the scent that was detectable even to a human's senses.

It was hard to keep their eyes trained on the slaughter for long and Sango and Kagome took a hint from Miroku and blocked the awful smell of decomposing flesh.

Bodies, twisted into grotesque shapes and expressions tortured, littered the once peaceful rice patties. Lying across the paths like broken toys or floating in the grass strewn water, their blood turning it a dark crimson. Some of the men, women and children still had the weapons of their destruction embedded in their corpses. Swords, spears, arrows… yet they were all of a design that was too crude, too cruel to be made for human hands- it was not bandits that killed them.

"Youkai," Miroku summarized grimly, subconsciously reaching for the rosary that bound his Wind Tunnel.

"Youkai!" Shippo squeaked, now completely awake. "They're not still here… are they?"

At the suggestion Sango shifted Hiraikotsu on her back and Kagome began to search the surrounding trees for any movement. Their fears were dispelled quickly, however.

Inuyasha straightened out of a crouch where he'd been investigating the dead, immediately covered his sensitive nose. The smell wasn't unbearable, but was certainly unpleasant. "Keh! I'd know if they were still around! The bastards turned tail and ran after killing everyone."

"Everyone?" Kagome frowned. Maybe there was someone they could help who'd survived…

But, the hanyou glanced over his shoulder at his companions and bluntly replied, "There's no one left to come home to this massacre."

Then, he turned his back towards them and continued searching the bodies for any clues. Naraku… definitely not… Kohaku… nope… Kagura… no such luck… Inuyasha growled and lifted the arm of a man still grasping his hammer. Just as swiftly, he let it limply fall back into the dust and turned his head away in disgust.

That's when he saw it.

While Inuyasha was holding his search, the others were even more concerned about the attack itself.

"I don't know about this," Sango admitted, grimacing. "I've never seen a youkai attack leave so much behind…"

Kagome, Miroku and Shippo listened closely to the demon slayer, well aware of her experience dealing with the beasts.

"What do you mean by 'leave so much behind?'" Kagome asked, though it was making her nauseous just standing here talking. The dead deserved a proper burial.

Sango rested a hand on Kirara's shoulder and the cat finally ceased growling. "Well, youkai normally attack humans to devour them. And when a number of youkai goes after an entire village you can usually be sure they'll eat their fill there or carry it off. And here… not one of the bodies looks to be partly devoured…"

"Then, you're saying something else happened?" Miroku connected what she'd said immediately.

She nodded.

"So…" Shippo wore an expression of intense concentration. "It's kind of like what Inuyasha said… the youkai ran away?"

"Yes," the monk agreed. "Like what Inuyasha said…"

Inuyasha noticed the smell following it right away.

It was different from everything else. A black arrow, barbed at the end before the crow feathers and rising from it was a stench that stuck out from the rest. A dark, almost seductive scent that reminded Inuyasha of the darkness that often came to tempt everyone at least once in his or her lifetime; he included.

Gingerly, he took the shaft of the arrow in one hand and pulled it from the flesh of the deceased villager. He expected it to come loose easily, but it snagged and he had to give it another sharp tug before the entire arrow was free.

He could now see why the strange arrow had snagged. Like any arrow, there was a sharp head, however, there was also a curved barb with a piece of flesh clinging to it. Inuyasha held it at arm's length. Both the smell and design of this weapon hinted at a viciousness of such that one who was hit by this arrow would not only deal with the pain of the actual arrow head, but would have to fight additional pain and difficultly to free it from their own body.

Yet, despite this horrific arrow and the others the hanyou was sure impaled various other victims, Inuyasha beheld it with a strange fascination. Something had been here that was different, more vicious, and more powerful than the usual small- fry youkai they dealt with, and he wanted to find out who it was and… how they had come upon such darkness in their hearts.

"Oi! Inuyasha!"

Miroku's voice sent his thoughts running in terror and Inuyasha himself was frightened. What had he just been considering? He was not interested in darkness, only strength. But, with darkness _came_ strength…

"No!" Inuyasha growled and shook his head fiercely.

"What did you find, Inuyasha?"

Abruptly, Miroku's and more voices were beside him and he dropped the wicked arrow like it was on fire.

He glanced up to see curious gazes all around.

"Uh… n-nothing. It was nothing!" He jumped to his feet and stalked off.

Until he saw that no one was following and he looked behind him. "Oi! Are you coming or not?" His companions exchanged befuddled glances. He narrowed his eyes and tried another method. "If we don't find a place to sleep for tonight the youkai will find and eat us instead."

Even if it wasn't true, _that_got a reaction and Shippo practically flew off Kagome's shoulder to patter after the hanyou. "Inuyasha! Wait for me!"

No one was particularly eager to be involved in anything more and hurried to catch up with the two. "Wait for us!"

0~0~0

Later that night, Inuyasha was too plagued with troublesome thoughts and the night sounds that threatened to drive him insane. But, he hadn't slept for two days and the resulting exhaustion even caught up to him.

Battle… flashing fangs sinking into exposed flesh, feral growls forbearers of howls of agony and everything turned red. White fur stained with their enemy's blood, demons bringing down claws upon fallen comrades, because there was no such thing in the world of demons. Then, there were the bones, piles upon piles of pale, glistening bones. They were nearly as ghostly as the departed spirits of their deceased owners and they would continue to grow in number. Hate, hunger, desperation, lust and power; they would all lead to the evil that the ones whom the humans cursed and the heavens threw out lived and thrived upon.

_Fight_, kill, survive… fight, _kill_, survive… fight, kill, _survive!_

Images whipped by at impossible speeds until they landed if just for a second on one that was far different from the rest, absent of the darkness of the rest. A stream that trickled down a rocky mountain, forming a glorious waterfall at its base and the somehow familiar mist that weaved in and out of its crevices, revealing teasing glimpses, but never what lay at the mountain's summit.

"Ack!"

Inuyasha jerked awake, drenched in cold sweat and breathing as if he'd just run a mile even though it was only induced by the horror of what he'd just seen. What he'd viewed through his mind's eye and were battles of which he'd never seen. A mountain of which he'd never seen and he was only left with his thoughts in the biting chill of the night.

Thoughts that should have prevented him from finding sleep again, and he longed to share, but no, he'd turned his back on help.

He let out a rattling breath and began to settle again. He was fighting against the slumber that crept back into his bones, but eventually it reclaimed him.

Yet, even in sleep, Inuyasha couldn't shake the feeling of almost inexplicable dread for what was to come.

0~0~0

**Author****'****s****Note:** I'm going to be completely honest with you readers in that I'm feeling kind of unsteady with my story telling in this one. There were a lot of things that I wanted to express that just didn't fit and it frustrates me to no end. But, you know what? That's what you get when you're a notorious planner like me and you're writing a multi-chapter story. So, keep in mind (and I'll try too) that Blood Inheritance has just gotten rolling and it'll only get more exciting from here! Thanks for reading and please review! ;)


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